
CARY, N.C. - Navy plated four to force a 5-5 tie while a four-run seventh by Navy led to a 6-5 victory over Red on the second day of the 2023 National Team Development Program (NTDP) at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina.
GAME ONE: TEAM NAVY FORCES A 5-5 DRAW AGAINST TEAM WHITE AFTER CLAWING BACK FROM A 4-0 DEFICIT IN THE SECOND ROUND OF 2023 NTDP LEAGUE PLAY
A 5-5 tie between Team Navy and Team White was highlighted by White’s Brady Murrietta going a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate in a back-and-forth contest at the 2023 NTDP.
Navy concludes day two with a record of 1-0-1 while White has yet to register a win as the team moves to 0-1-1.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- A two-out walk in the first came back to bite Navy, as Xavier Neyens dropped a ball into right center for an RBI to put Team White up early.
- White widened its lead after Tait Reynolds sent a shallow flare to right for an RBI and was followed up by a pair of errors, making it 4-0.
- Miscues on the mound trimmed Navy’s lead by two after multiple wild pitches plated first Dean Moss then Diego Velazquez, who reached on a double and a walk, respectively.
- Evan Hankins tied the contest at four runs apiece after his splintered bat altered the path of the ball for an unorthodox two-RBI infield single.
- Team White picked up the lead once again in the fifth after Jacob Lombard reached on a two-out throwing error by the third baseman, allowing William Hill to score.
- A bases-loaded walk to Navy’s Moss in the sixth plated Sean Gamble to make it 5-5, which would go on to be the final score.
NOTABLE STATS
- Murrietta proved himself at the plate for Team White, as he posted a 3-for-3 outing with a trio of singles.
- White’s Reynolds did a bit of everything at the plate. He was 1-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored while Hill also recorded a 1-for-2 performance with a pair of runs scored.
- Hankins dealt a majority of the damage for Navy; he picked up a pair of RBIs, collecting a base knock along with a walk.
- Moss picked up where he left off in yesterday’s game as he scored once, recorded a hit, and drove in a run by drawing a bases-loaded walk in the sixth.
GAME TWO: LIGHT BLUE PLATES FOUR IN THE SEVENTH TO STAY UNDEFEATED IN A 6-5 CONTEST ON DAY TWO OF 2023 NTDP
CARY, N.C. – Red and Light Blue traded four-run innings as Team Light Blue ultimately came out on top with a 6-5 victory over Team Red at the 2023 NTDP.
Light Blue stays undefeated and improves to 2-0 while Red collects its second loss in as many days and falls to 0-2.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Landon Schaefer broke the 0-0 deadlock with a leadoff 401-foot bomb to left center field to put Team Red up 1-0 after two.
- Light Blue reined in the lead in the fourth on a sac fly off the bat of Omar Serna advanced Quentin Young to third and scored Ethan Holliday, who reached base on a leadoff walk. Young came around to score the next at-bat after a throwing error on a dropped third strike reached the outfield to easily plate the second run.
- Team Red’s offense found its groove in the home half of the sixth as four runs crossed the plate to hand the team a 5-2 advantage. The frame saw runs score as the result of a wild pitch, sac fly, and RBI base knocks by Kayson Cunningham and Billy Carlson.
- Light Blue bounced back in the following inning, beginning with a wild pitch followed by an RBI base knock by Cannon Goldin plated the third and fourth runs. Jaxon Miller played hero and scored the winning run with a two-RBI base hit through the left side.
NOTABLE STATS
- Serna posted a 2-for-2 performance at the plate with an RBI while Young also knocked in a run during his 1-for-3 outing for Light Blue.
- Starting pitcher Jack McKernan stood out on the mound and tossed 3.0 solid innings for Light Blue. He collected seven punchouts and allowed only one run on two hits.
- Blane Metz also showed out on the mound, as he threw 3.0 shutout innings of two-hit ball for Team Red.
- Cunningham went 2-for-3 at the plate for Red as he gathered an RBI and a run apiece.
ON DECK
Navy plays its final contest against Light Blue while White concludes NTDP league play with a matchup against Red on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. ET respectively. All games at the NTDP can be streamed live on USABaseball.TV.